Marriage and Repopulation Act
by WhatsThatShip
Summary: As the title says. Its a story I had written ages ago, but it needs finished. Mostly ADMM, but may have some other secondary pairings as well. Not entirely sure Rating will reach M level. Also posted on AO3
1. Chapter 1

It was the morning she had been dreading since Albus had warned her two weeks prior. The Marriage and Repopulation Act would be passed and every witch age 17 to 60 would receive their letters informing them that they have little choice but to marry and produce offspring as quickly and efficiently as possible.

After the war, the magical community rejoiced and tried to rebuild their lives, but it did not create the population increase that the Magical Census Department expected. Thus the department wrote up a law and quietly passed it through the Wizengamot before the public had a chance to protest. Minerva herself wouldn't have even known about it without a warning from the Headmaster.

Slowly making her way to the great hall for breakfast, she mentally prepared herself in order to comfort those girls that were subject to the new law. There should be very few, as according to Albus the age requirement would be seventeen, so only a portion of the seventh years will be affected. That being said, she would prefer it not to affect them at all.

None of the staff would be required to marry other than maybe Severus, and she didn't see him proposing to anyone unless the Ministry ordered him too. Even then it was unlikely. The rest of the staff were already married or were old enough to be exempt. Minerva herself couldn't be more grateful for having reached the age of 63.

Even though she took plenty of time to get there, Minerva still arrived before the vast majority of students. That was probably due to today being Saturday, but it gave her a foreboding feeling none the less. It didn't help that all of the staff were already there either, but at least the morning post hadn't arrived yet.

Taking her seat, she noticed that the Headmaster was acting very peculiar, as if he didn't want to be there and kept glancing over at her as they waited for the post. Neither one had the stomach for breakfast, so they sat in silence waiting for the other shoe to fall.

There they are, she thought, as the owls flew through the room, delivering the Daily Profit, other mail, and those dreaded ministry envelopes. She carefully took her stack of letters and the newspaper from the owl that had sat itself down on her plate, and shooed it away. Leaving the letters for later, she opened the Daily prophet to see the Minister on the front page endorsing the new legislation.

Looking up from the paper, she watched as most of the students were reading the front page of the prophet, with shock written all over their faces. Only two Gryffindors had gotten a letter today, but the rest would be receiving their letters within the next few months if this law wasn't repealed.

As she watched the four tables of students, surprise turned into confusion, denial, sadness, or despair. If she had to categorize her own emotions, she wouldn't know where to start. It had just now started to settle down after the war and then the Ministry blind sides us with this law that will undoubtedly take away any chance of happiness for the younger generations.

Many of the students were leaving the great hall in search for privacy no doubt, leaving small clusters of younger students. For the first time in a long time, the breakfast foods look mostly untouched.

Sensing that no crises were to happen immediately, she went back to the newspaper that she was still holding. Leaving the front page for later, she flipped through the rest of the paper until she saw the title, "Most Eligible War Heroines: Hermione Granger and Minerva McGonagall." Seeing the Author was Rita Skeeter, she wasn't entirely eager to read the article, but it was a way to avoid the front page.

Just as the news of the Marriage and Repopulation Act becomes public, I bring to your attention, two very single war heroines. The first, Miss Hermione Granger at the young age of 18, is very eligible. As she spends most of her time reading or promoting house elf equality, this bachelorette should prove adequate for any wizard looking for a low maintenance wife. As far as previous experience, this girl's got it. Her past romances have included Victor Krum, Cormac McLaggen, Ron Weasley, Harry Potter and countless others for sure. While many wouldn't say she's pretty, her assets have attracted famous names as mentioned above and she has never lacked male company since she started Hogwarts at age 11. Any wizard, who has even half her brains, would send a petition right away as I'm sure she won't stay single very long.

Moving right along to our second war heroine, we have Professor Minerva McGonagall. While Hermione is on the low end of the age range, Minerva McGonagall is far beyond her, just qualifying for the new law.

What? Although she would take that as a compliment if it weren't Skeeter, she had passed that particular birthday already. It wasn't like she was secretive with her age, but she was surprised that Skeeter had it wrong, as the woman usually has the base facts correct.

As Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts Scholl of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Minerva has had a steady job and income for over forty years. After a heartbreaking romance in her youth, Minerva has since cast aside any male attention. Don't let that deter you though, because as a Gryffindor she is bound to be a lion in bed, assuming of course that she is still physically capable. A woman of mystery, yet so predictable; Send a petition if you think you can tame this Lioness.

Next week we have more single witches in need of husbands as well as status updates on Miss Granger and Professor McGonagall.

By the end, Minerva would have liked to strangle that woman. Luckily though, she told herself, with the headlines today, nobody would probably even read Skeeter's article. Reminding herself that it was just Rita Skeeter's usual hokum, she turned back to the front page to read the prophet's report on the new law.

As the new law states, all witches between the ages of 17 and 65 are required to marry a wizard of their choice within 60 days of receiving their letters and produce at least one pregnancy within the next three years.

To facilitate the fulfillment of the new law, the ministry has developed a program for wizards to petition witches of their choosing. The witch in question will have the allotted time to select the petition that is most suitable in order to comply with the law.

If the witch in question chooses not to marry within the time frame allotted, the Ministry will choose a suitable husband. If the witch or wizard in that case chooses not to follow the law, the Ministry for Magic will take further action not limited to fines or imprisonment.

After meeting the marriage requirement of the law, each witch is required to produce at least one pregnancy. Contraceptive charms and potions, as well as muggle devices are strictly forbidden within this time. If after the first year, there is no sign of pregnancy, the witch in question will submit herself for an examination by a ministry appointed healer.

Setting the paper down, she looked over at Dumbledore to see that he was trying to hide behind the sports section of the prophet, which he never reads.

Snatching the paper from his hands, she turned it back to the front page, pointing out the first paragraph. "Tell me this is a misprint."

Obviously trying to avoid the topic at hand, he inspected his finger, saying, "I think you gave me a paper cut."

Not in the mood for his usual indifference, she spat, "It might not have happened if you weren't lying."

"I…I didn't know until later. The Minister brought in a healer to verify that the timeline was feasible, and he took it upon himself to inform them that the fertile period for witches was more or less age 14 through 70. At my insistence, they agreed that it was barbaric to include children, who cannot even legally marry without permission. There was little room for argument regarding the rest." He defended, finally daring to actually look at her.

"So you purposefully kept that particular bit of news from me." Minerva accused. "That is just as bad as lying in my book."

After a pause that was much too long, the only words that he could say were, "I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry."

She couldn't stand that pitying look any longer so she grabbed her things and left with as much dignity as she could muster.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Here's another chapter for you. I have several more done, just don't want to write myself into a corner. I'd like to hear any thoughts or suggestions for this little story. Thanks for reading!

Upon reaching her office, she sat down at her desk and flipped through her letters. Most were school business, parent concerns and such, but there, amongst the harmless letters was the letter she was hoping not to find. Opening it, she read through the contents quickly trying to catch any exceptions or flaws in their wording, but there was none. For once, the Ministry had passed a law that wasn't filled with exceptions that allowed friends of the Ministry to do as they please.

She felt helpless as she threw the letter aside. Sitting there alone at her desk, she allowed herself to evaluate her situation. At age 63 she had long since given up any dreams of having a family. There might have been a time before returning to teach at Hogwarts, when she was looking for that special someone to spend her life with, but that never turned out. She did meet a young man whom she thought she loved, but she soon realized that he was wasn't who she thought he was. Kind words and a pretty face were not enough in the end.

Since then, she barely had time to keep up with all of her teaching duties, much less seek out a husband. As the years passed, she made friends with the other staff, became the head of Gryffindor house, and earned the position of Deputy Headmaster. There may have been small bouts of loneliness along the way, but that eventually faded too.

Now she was supposed to sign her life away to some wizard that she probably didn't know, because there was little to no chance of finding anyone who would be at all suitable. She would probably have to resign in order to comply with the law, but in that case there wasn't much holding her here. She may just as well leave for America, or elsewhere.

Minerva would miss it though. Hogwarts had been her home for the majority of her life and the thought of leaving now was worse than being tied to some low life, parasite for the rest of her life.

She would miss all the staff, especially Pomona, Poppy, and Rolanda. Those three witches had been more trouble than all the students combined, but they were good friends, even if they always gave her a hard time. It would be difficult to get by without them, but even worse would be the loss of her best friend.

Albus Dumbledore had been her friend and confidant for longer than she could remember. As a student, she knew him as a teacher and head of house first, but after returning to teach, things changed. It was awkward at the beginning, as she was taking over his job as transfiguration professor, and he had become the new Headmaster. Soon though the old titles were left behind and they found they had similar interests.

They were very intelligent, well read, and very competitive in their own ways. Minerva was always very serious when it came to school business, and very protective towards her students. Albus was…well he appeared to be overly cheery most of the time, but she knew that there was always more to it than that.

Several years after Minerva had started teaching, they had almost progressed their relationship beyond the point of friendship. They shared one kiss and a discussion that ended in a mutual agreement to remain only friends and colleagues. It was a tough decision, but a necessary one. The months and even years following their 'lapse in judgment' as they called it were awkward and difficult. Eventually though, they either forgot those feelings or chose not to remember.

They had lived and worked side by side for longer than she liked to count, so by now they knew more about each other than anyone else did. That's why she was so shocked this morning at his actions. She was disappointed in his omitting pertinent information, not angry. It hurt a little that her closest friend and confidant would purposefully keep her in the dark, when a little extra time could have helped.

It seemed to Minerva that Albus always had a reason for his actions and others' actions as well most of the time, but she couldn't figure out why he would withhold the latest developments involving the Marriage Act. There was no end game, as she could see, no reason to wait, unless he was afraid of her reaction. If Dumbledore had told her before today, she still would have been upset, but not specifically at him. He should know that she wouldn't hold him personally accountable for this mess.

Regardless of his motives, she had to figure out a plan, a plan that preferably did not involve running away from her entire life.

Just as she was starting to feel a little more determined and less helpless, an owl tapped at the window. Opening the window, she let the owl in, and accepted the letter that the owl was carrying. She fed the little guy a treat and he flew back through the opened window.

Seeing the Ministry seal on the envelope, she immediately opened it, hoping to see that the law had been repealed already. No such luck, she thought, as what was in the envelope was a petition from a wizard she had never met. There was little real information provided, only a name and a note that said he was answering the advertisement in the Daily Prophet.

She barely had time to consider how she would repay Rita Skeeter, when another owl came through the still opened window bearing another Ministry sealed envelope. Another petition, but this time it was from Aberforth Dumbledore. He didn't bother with a note, and she was eternally grateful for that.

Soon another owl arrived and another. By the fifth letter, she stopped opening them entirely and went through to her quarters, leaving the letters and the owls do as they please.

As she marked the last essay in her stack, (no time for sulking), she looked at the time. There was half an hour till hunch, leaving her with just enough time to make herself presentable and get to the great hall in time.

Exiting her quarters, she stopped to stare at the letters covering he majority of her desk and floor. The Ministry seal glared at her as she tried to keep hold of her temper. Most if not all of these were bound to be the result of Skeeter's little article. Perhaps she should invite Hermione to her office later for a cup of tea. Maybe she would have an accomplice in paying back skeeter. It would at least be a decent distraction from the real atrocity.

Entering the Great Hall, Minerva noticed that nearly everyone was already there. The students and staff noticed her arrival. Many tried to hide their interest, pretending not to stare, but subtlety is not a skill that many students or staff for that matter, have mastered.

It was obvious that they had heard about the new legislation, and Rita Skeeter's article. She was slightly embarrassed about Rita's article, but the way the students watched her reaction, made Minerva even more resolved to remain as calm and brave as possible. She would be brave and steady for her students, because they need her to be so.

Sitting down to her lunch, she noticed that the room was still very quiet. She turned to Pomona Sprout, beside her, and asked about the new batch of mandrakes. The room seemed to take a breath, and then it returned to normal as Pomona shared the latest progress report for the entirety of the greenhouses.

As the meal progressed, there were still brief glances in her direction, but they tapered off as they realized there wasn't going to be a duel.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Here we are again folks. This chapter may seem like just filler, but I needed a situation for some things to be discussed. While this main story will be MMAD, their is definately a side story brewing that could be very SSHG. Probably won't happen anytime soon, but setting up for it anyway.**

 **Thanks for reading, and if you have any comments/suggestions let me know. Btw, I'm currently writing chapter 8 and it's getting exciting, which means, difficult to get right. Plan is to post a chapter each Saturday, giving myself some space to change things as I go. An explosion of reviews/follows could change that though!**

When lunch was over, Minerva quickly asked the other heads of house into the staff room for a word, only inviting Dumbledore as an afterthought.

The four other staff filed in after her, Pomona and Fillius followed her nearer the fireplace, but Severus took his usual seat as far away as possible, and Albus just stood around the doorway, fiddling with old newspapers.

Minerva began, "I believe each house should call a meeting for the seventh year girls, to discuss the new Marriage and Repopulation Act. They should be aware of all of the requirements and allowed to ask questions so they will be prepared to make an informed decision when it comes down to it."

Fillius and Pomona nodded their agreement. The others still seemed disinterested.

"Few of our students have received a letter as of now, but there will be many more to come in the next months," she continued. "I suggest each house include any sixth years with birthdays that fall in the summer months. I won't allow any younger students, as I anticipate questions regarding physical acts."

A snort came from across the room from where Snape was sitting.

Not in the mood for his inappropriate humor, Minerva offered, "If you have something to add Professor Snape, then please do."

Not moving, or even looking toward the small group, Snape elaborated, "You are delusional if you think even your fifth years know nothing of these "physical acts." In all probability, they are more informed than yourself on the subject."

After a very tense pause where Minerva Glared at Snape, and He inspected his fingernails, Minerva continued on. "With professor Snape's inability to take this situation seriously, I suggest that Pomona talk to the Ravenclaws as well as Hufflepuffs. I will take the Slytherins and Gryffindors. Perhaps it will be easier to ask questions to a fellow witch."

Another snort from Snapes Corner.

"More complaints?" Minerva asked.

"Not complaints precisely," he began, "but you can't seriously think that a mixed group of Slytherins and Gryffindors will get anywhere near the topic of sex. They barely speak to each other at all, much less ask their teachers embarrassing questions in front of each other."

"Severus Snape," Minerva scolded, "This is a very serious issue for our entire community and especially for the young girls who will be forced into marriage and motherhood before they even have a chance to become adults. I am aware of the animosity between these houses, but I am confident that they will be able to get along long enough to discuss this. Now, if you don't want to have this "embarrassing" chat yourself, shut your gob."

It was times like these she wonders how the child she knew as Mr. Snape, grew up to be this man. Over the years, Minerva has lectured the man more than she ever did the boy. It's a pity she didn't have the authority to give him a detention.

The staff finished their meeting and dispersed to make an announcement to their pupils. The Gryffindors and Slytherins would meet in the Transfiguration Classroom, and the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws would meet in the Charms Classroom after dinner.

Leaving the Great Hall after dinner, Minerva was a little anxious about the upcoming meeting. Even though she acted confident earlier amongst the other staff, it was not going to be easy to discuss said things.

She walked through the door to her classroom and immediately decided that the desks would not be suitable. Quickly she transfigured the desks into arm chairs and arranged them in a more conversational orientation. She had gotten the newspaper from that morning and the official version of the new act in order to have a starting point for this discussion.

Soon enough the Gryffindor girls arrived at the door, looking nervous.

Not moving from her chair, Minerva called, "Come in and find a seat."

Looking around at their classmates, they made their way into the classroom and chose seats together.

Another few minutes and the process repeated with the Slytherins.

There were 15 students currently in attendance: 7 Gryffindors and 8 Slytherins.

Sitting up straighter, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat to gather their attention, although unnecessary, and asked, "Are there any more Slytherin students that should be in attendance?"

The young witches glanced around at each other and indicated that they were all there by shaking their heads.

"Well then," Minerva continued, shutting the classroom door wandlessly. "We have a lot to discuss tonight, so let us get started."

Quickly she went through the specifics of the law, which were mostly already covered by the Daily Prophet article. Finishing the easy bit, she went on to ask if there were any questions.

Not a whisper, not a peep was heard.

Trying to coax a question to start things off, Minerva added, "Within this room, you are free to ask any question you think of. I cannot speak for everyone here but I think your classmates are probably thinking very similar thoughts."

After a little more reassurance from their professor, they finally started to ask questions and talk about the ways in which their lives were going to change.

Minerva noticed that many of the girls were convinced that they would be marrying the boy they were currently dating. While that may be a good option for some, she wanted to give them some warning about their male counterparts. "This may be difficult to hear, but the Marriage and Repopulation Act does not apply to wizards in general. The boys you may be expecting to marry may have other plans that don't involve marriage. That is their choice, and I urge you to consider all of your options before making a decision. If you need to, you can always ask me or any of the other staff for help, or advice, but in the meantime don't take anything for granted."

After a few more clarification questions about marriage, one of the students asked, "Do we have to have a baby as soon as we are married?"

Getting to the more embarrassing questions, Minerva prepared herself, "Strictly speaking, no, you do not have to become pregnant immediately. There is a time line of three years before extreme measures are enforced, but most of you, baring medical problems, will most likely become pregnant within a year."

Her answer was met by more 'why's and confused looks.

Glancing around at the young naive faces, Minerva was reminded that these witches were no more than children. The Ministry's expectations were unfair.

"The rules here at Hogwarts prohibit any intimate acts among students. We do what we can as staff to enforce the rules, but we are not perfect. Regardless of whether you have followed that particular rule, you have been protected by contraceptive charms that have been in place for years. These charms have kept you safe and prevented pregnancy, but they may have given you an unrealistic idea of your own fertility. Once you are married, the Ministry prohibits contraceptive charms, potions and muggle contraceptives. This makes it very difficult to avoid pregnancy."

Shyly, a Slytherin across the circle asked, "Can't you just, not...?" Then she looked away, embarrassed.

"In this case, the Ministry of Magic has practically forbidden abstinence as well. As a married couple, you and your husband would be required to consummate your marriage on the same day as you signed the contract. After that, the law requires weekly intercourse to increase the chance of pregnancy. At the cost of some embarrassment, I will tell you that they describe sexual intercourse as the achievement of the male orgasm through penetration."

The embarrassment was real. It could have been a Weasley family reunion for the amount of red faces, especially from the Gryffindor side.

Minerva took a deep breath before asking the very silent room, "If there are no more questions, then you may all go back to your common rooms. I expect there will be more questions along the way, but for now you should all try to get some rest."

The Professor stood up and walked to the door opening it for the students to leave. Once they were all gone, she shut the door and headed for her office.


	4. Chapter 4

Minerva sat at her desk answering the letters she had received that morning, when she was startled by a loud knock on the door. Sighing at the ink smudged across the letter she had been writing, she called, "Come in."

Professor Pomona Sprout entered the office and sat down in the chair across from Minerva. She sighed as she commented, "Well that was horrifying. I had no idea how little our students know about reproduction. I should have let you talk to the Ravenclaws. Never-ending questions, most of which made the Hufflepuffs want to run away and hide. How did yours do?"

"I found the same was true for the students in my group. They didn't seem to know much about contraception at all, especially the charms here at Hogwarts. I'm thinking that we should teach these charms earlier in their time here instead of waiting until their last term."

"I agree," Pomona said. "Perhaps even add the potion as well. Severus might complain, but he will get used to the idea."

"If he doesn't," Minerva added, "We can threaten him with having to teach an entire class on the subject."

"That would make a fitting punishment for misbehaving students; sex education with Professor Snape."

Minerva chuckled at the thought, imagining all the horrified faces.

After a bit, Pomona put on a more serious face, and asked, "Did you get a letter this morning?"

"As vague as that sounds," Minerva quipped, "I did."

"The Prophet was correct then." Pomona stated.

"I don't think I would ever say that word in relation to the Daily Prophet, but I do "qualify" for this dreadful law."

"Have you made any plans yet? Do you have somebody in mind?" Pomona questioned.

"As of now, I have not made any decisions, but I received these today," She said as she pulled a stack of envelopes from her desk drawer.

Minerva noted the mischievous look as Pomona flipped through the stack of envelopes, most of which were still sealed.

"You haven't even opened these." Pomona scolded. "Prince Charming himself could have sent you a petition and you wouldn't even know it."

Minerva glared at her, "If you want to know so badly, then open them, but don't be surprised when they all mention that "advertisement" as its referred to now."

"Hmm," Pomona paused. "I'll take these and sort through them for you. There should be a diamond in here somewhere."

"I wouldn't bet on it," Minerva replied, seeing Pomona out.

"But I always win my bets." Pomona insisted as she continued out into the corridor.

The next morning, Minerva was ambushed at breakfast by Pomona and Poppy. They were too excited for it to be anything good.

"Min," Poppy started. "We found your prince charming, or at least a few options."

Minerva just rolled her eyes as Pomona explained, "I hope you don't mind that I enlisted Poppy, otherwise it would have taken ages to get through all those."

"I am very skeptical, but if you insist you can enlighten me as to my "options" after dinner." After seeing their disappointment at having to postpone said enlightenment, Minerva explained, "I don't have time this morning as I have set up appointments with Ms. Strallin and Ms. Carson. They are the only Gryffindors that have already turned 17. Later I am meeting Hermione for Tea, so you will just have to find something productive to do in the meantime."

Disappointed, Poppy and Pomona went on to their places as the head table. Minerva took her place, but couldn't help notice the not so quiet, excited whispers throughout the meal.

When the paper was delivered, Minerva was happy to notice that her name did not appear in any articles.

Her first two appointments went surprisingly well. The girls in question seemed to have a plan to deal with the new law. It all seemed so easy. They were both engaged with plans to marry within the next few weeks.

If she was honest, Minerva was envious. The news was unexpected, but this law seemed to be more of an inconvenience for them, rather than the devastating reality that she saw.

Somehow, she hoped that there really was a reasonable petition in that bunch, but the odds were not in her favor this time.

After lunch, Minerva returned to her office, to await her guest. She had asked Hagrid to escort Hermione to the castle, although asking wasn't strictly necessary.

Soon enough, Hermione arrived and Minerva ushered her into the office.

"Its very nice to see you again dear," The Deputy Headmistress welcomed. "Please have a seat."

"Thank you," Hermione replied taking her seat. "I was very happy to accept your invitation, but I can't decide if I should be asking for an extra assignment or trying to avoid a detention."

Smiling as she reminisced, Minerva seated herself. "I don't care to give out detentions today, but if you want an extra assignment, you can tell me how you are getting along at your new ministry job."

Without missing a beat, Hermione jumped right in telling all about her new position in the department of magical creatures. She had been recently been promoted so that she could focus more on the creature welfare and less on catching and hiding them.

It was a good distraction, but eventually even Hermione Granger ran out of things to say.

With a fresh cup of tea in hand, Minerva steered the conversation in a different direction. "Have you been keeping up with the Daily Prophet?"

"If by keeping up, you mean did I read Skeeter's article yesterday, than yes. I have never disliked anyone more excepting maybe Voldemort."

McGonagall took a minute before responding, "I thought things were just starting to even out again, when this madness popped up from nowhere. I don't know where to begin dealing with this. Thanks to Skeeter's advertisement, I have a box of petitions that has somehow made this situation even worse."

"No offense, but I am glad that someone else has the same problem. Some of the notes on said petitions are rather horrible. I don't even recognize many names, and that seems strange. If the Magical community is so small then where are all these wizards coming from?"

"I had similar thoughts myself," Minerva mused. "Have you beeen through all the petitions you received?"

"I haven't got through many, but I have been trying to sort them. So far I only have two stacks: ones I know, and ones I don't." With a sigh, Hermione added, "Only a few made it into the first stack.'

"To be honest, I only opened the first few. The rest Pomona and Poppy took to sort, or more likely, to gossip about. "

Neither spoke for a time, then finally Hermione offered, "I can't believe it, but I really just don't know what to do here. I don't have any great marriage prospects at the moment, and I don't want to leave either. I may just try to stick it out and see what happens. Maybe they will repeal it before the deadline, and if not, so be it."

Considering her words carefully, Minerva reasoned, "I will not run away from this, neither will I make a scene. I have to, somehow, set an example for those girls to come who have even worse options than myself. If it comes down to it, I will do what I am told. We need to fights this, but I cannot do so openly."

With a determined look, Hermione promised, "I will not give in without a fight."

"I wouldn't expect anything different."

They wrapped up their conversation pretty fast, neither in the mood for pointless small talk. There were many points to consider, and both knew that repeatedly talking about these matters wouldn't make life any easier.


	5. Chapter 5

**Maybe a day late but not too bad. Well here's the next bit in this story. Please leave a review if you feel like it.**

After the evening meal Minerva returned to her office to find three of her colleagues waiting outside in the corridor. Poppy and Pomona she expected, but they must have needed more help as they now had Rolanda with them.

Seeing as this had somehow turned into a party, Minerva invited them into her living quarters so they wouldn't have to crowd into her office.

Barely in the door, Poppy handed her a handful of the petitions she was carrying, "We picked out some of the good ones, that you should read."

Glancing around at the curiously silent witches, Minerva opened the first petition. She didn't recognize the name, so she moved on to the note. She read only a few words before angrily throwing it into the fire, along with the others she was holding.

As she turned to glare at the three other witches in the room, they lost it and started giggling like school children.

Angered by their behavior, Minerva accused, "If by "good one," you mean the most explicit and degrading piece of filth I have ever read, then you are insane. If this is what you have been waiting for then you can go now, I am not interested in your games."

Slowly they pulled themselves together long enough to reply, "We didn't mean to upset you, we just thought that it might be best if we got those out of the way first."

Still glaring at them, she sat back down in her armchair.

Pomona, Poppy, and Ro had separated the lot into several categories. They had a rather large pile of letters that were sent by strange wizards that none had heard of. The next smaller pile was from wizards within their circle of acquaintances, but were unlikely candidates. The last pile was made up of petitions that she should actually consider, or at least read.

Most of those last petitions were the best of the worst. They definitely wouldn't have been Minerva's choice in any situation other than this. The last one that she read was very worrying though.

It was from one of the seventh year students. A Gryffindor by the name of Alfred Blake, had sent her a petition saying, Offering my services, Professor.

She was beyond angry that one of her students would do such a thing. The student in question clearly wasn't taking this law seriously, and that meant that she would have to set him straight.

Coming up with a plan was easy with help from her friends, but the difficult part would be the execution.

The next day, Minerva purposefully arrived late to lunch. She wanted to make sure Mr. Blake would be there already. Casually walking towards the staff table, she let herself walk just past his group of friends, then turn back like it was an afterthought. "Oh, Mr. Blake. I was surprised to see your letter the other day. I thought I should let you know that I plan to accept your offer."

The look of pure horror on the boy's face was well worth the effort of keeping a straight face throughout. His friends were clearly confused, but it didn't take long for them to figure it out and adopt the same horrified facial expression.

Mr. Blake finally summoned the courage to say something. "But...Professor...it, it was just a..."

Adjusting her semi honest expression to one more stern she finished his thought for him. "It was just a what? Just a joke? I seriously hope you don't think this is a time for jokes. I could very well accept your petition and you would have no say in the matter. By signing that petition you would be bound by law to carry out the terms if I had accepted. Once sent, a petition cannot be withdrawn."

The look of relief on his face was extreme. "Sorry Professor, I didn't think it was that big of a deal. It was just a bit of parchment."

Relaxing the glare just a bit, she finished. "I really hope you have learned your lesson today. Whether it is a marriage petition or anything else in the Magical world, you had better be very careful about what you sign."

While she hoped to embarrass and frighten the boy in front of his friends, she didn't necessarily want to make a huge scene in front of everyone in the Great Hall. She had gathered some attention from the surrounding students, but the majority were still focused on lunch. The staff was another story though. Pomona, Poppy, and Rolanda were giggling behind their hands, and Albus just looked sad, or was that perhaps pity she saw.

She took her usual place at the table and started her meal in silence, while Albus did his best not to look at her.

It wasn't long before his not eating and not talking and not being Albus got on her nerves. "What is your problem Headmaster? You've been playing with that bit of Potatoe for fifteen minutes now."

"Nothing, nothing. I just have a lot on my mind today."

"I not mad at you if that's what you think. I'm not thrilled at this situation, but I don't hold you personally responsible for my impending doom." Minerva declared. "So now you can stop sulking and avoiding me, or I suppose you can go on pretending this is about you."

"You're right of course." Albus answered. "It's just so horrible all of it and I do feel somewhat responsible. I'm sorry you have to endure all of this."

"Well at least we are on the same page now. Eat your lunch or go do some actual work. You do know that I have seen the state of your office and I am not responsible for that."

Albus smiled at her realizing that his friend was still the same bossy witch that he had come to rely so much upon. Then he dug into his meal since he was fairly certain she wasn't going to hex him today.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry guys, It's been far too long. On my return to this story, I realized that I had skipped a chapter somewhere. What was posted for chapter 4 was actually meant to be chapter 5. So I added the real chapter 4, moved chapter 5, and even posted a chapter 6. Again sorry, working full time sucks sometimes. Do me a favor and leave a review if/when you make it through this latest update, thanks.**

Days and weeks had passed since the enactment of the new law. For the most part, Hogwarts went on as its usual self. There were some wedding plans in the works for a few seventh years, but nothing too major.

Minerva looked through the petitions that the other ladies had screened, but none were good options. Some might just be bearable. A lifetime of being single and making her own plans was hard to part with, especially if love wasn't a factor.

If she were honest with herself, Minerva had known love and still did. Years ago, that love had been renamed as friendship, but it was still there. She wasn't really sure why they decided it wouldn't work, but for some reason or other she let Albus lock those feelings away. Clearly, he wasn't in love with her or he would have had a harder time with his decision. Of course, the idea to stay friends was his idea, but Minerva went along with it to spare her own feelings. Staying friends was better than the alternative. How could she choose some other wizard when the perfect one for her was right here at Hogwarts?

Albus was never the marrying type though. Through the years, Minerva knew he kept company with a handful of ladies, but he was never serious about them. Not that it mattered really, she knew that there was never a chance he would consider her worthy. She was 63 years old for Pete's sake and not near as attractive as she had been all those years ago when he turned her down the first time.

Since love was definitely out of the question the next consideration would be whether she would be allowed to keep her post here at Hogwarts. Her career meant the world to her, and she wouldn't let that go easily.

So now she was looking for someone easy going, with a job or hobby that would keep them busy the rest of the time. Honestly, she would only need to see them once a week anyway. As long as she could stay and teach, then the rest was bearable.

Making a mental list, Minerva decided she would go see the closest candidate first. More than half of her time was already up, and she now had to gather her courage and face this problem.

The next day at breakfast, Minerva received a letter from her former student Hermione Granger. While that description was true, she did tend to think of the girl as more of a friend the last three years. How things do change.

Albus noticed the smile on Minerva's face and asked, "Good news?"

"Not exactly good news, but it's from Hermione. She says she plans to fight this barbarity of a law until they lock her up. She has no plans to marry and thinks that there are enough other witches who haven't conformed, that they will have some influence on the ministry. I can't see them having much of an effect, but I'm glad she is standing up for her beliefs. Sometimes I wish I had that freedom."

"You are still considering defying the law?"

With a sigh, Minerva answered, "No, I'm too old to withstand Azkaban, and besides, who would keep the school running when they've locked me up."

They both smiled, thinking about the school's vast amounts of paperwork. Then they both returned to their breakfasts.

"Oh, "Minerva remembered, "I'll be going into Hogsmede this morning. I don't foresee any problems arising, but I thought I ought to let you know anyway. I may not be back for lunch."

"Oh, what a coincidence. I was thinking of making the trek myself. Shall I escort you there then?"

"That would be nice," she said not wanting to offend him, but this wasn't quite the way she hoped to accomplish things.

"Perfect," Albus confirmed. "How about we meet in the entrance hall in an hour?"

An hour later saw the two professors casually walking along the path to Hogsmeade. Minerva invested herself in whatever Albus wanted to chat about, if only to distract herself a little longer. Gryffindor or not, she was terrified to have this conversation, but it had to be done.

All too soon for Minerva, they reached the village. "Where would you like to go first?" Asked Dumbledore.

"Oh, don't worry about me. Go ahead and see to your errands," Minerva urged, hoping that he would give her some space without her having to hurt his feelings.

"Nonsense, I don't mind waiting. My errand as you say, was just to replenish my store of sweets."

Shaking her head, Minerva sighed, "As you wish then. I'm visiting the Hog's Head first."

A puzzled Albus stared back at her, as she turned to proceed in the direction of the specified pub. She could tell he wanted to ask, but was very grateful he hadn't. Maybe she could get away with this Afterall.

Entering the Hog's Head, Minerva walked up to the bar where Aberforth Dumbledore stood cleaning dust off of a firewiskey bottle with a rag that must have been filthier than the dusty bottle. Of course, Albus had caught up by this time, and was right on her heels.

"Professor." Aberforth said in greeting.

"Ah, yes, could we have a word or two somewhere slightly more private." Minerva asked.

"No problem. Just through here if ya want." Minerva turned to follow him, glad that he hadn't questioned her right then.

Too bad her luck didn't hold as Aberforth then added, "I figure this has somethin' to do with my petition then."

Minerva hid her face with her hands as she was sure Albus had heard that. Slowly she turned back to gauge his reaction. Shock was an understatement. True horror was closer to the mark.

Then it quickly changed to anger and he practically shouted. "How could you choose this, this sad excuse for a human as your..." He trailed off as he could not say the word in relation to Aberforth.

"For your information Albus Dumbledore," she turned his own accusing tone back at him, "I have not chosen anybody, but when I do it will be my choice, not yours."

"I'm not saying that, just please don't marry Abe." Albus practically begged.

"Then who Albus? Who else is there? The last time I checked, you have no claim over my person. A fact you made perfectly clear several decades ago. So why don't you go mind your own business for once and stay out of mine."

Minerva gave him a minute to come up with some apology or solution, but all she got was a gobsmacked look and silence. Turning around, Minerva quickly exited the pub and practically marched back to the castle. Locking herself in her quarters, she paced back and forth seething with rage and planning various repayment plans. Yes, that's right. No one makes a fool out of Minerva McGonagall in public and goes unpunished. Besides, anger at Albus was much easier to deal with than the other emotions threatening to take over.

It took some planning and time for Minerva to come up with the perfect plan and pull it off. His punishment came in the form of a chair leg vanishing just as he was going to sit down to his lunch. The students had a big laugh. Even Minerva herself couldn't hide a snicker.

When Albus had fixed his seat and set to eat, he smiled over at Minerva before asking, "Are we even now?"

"We are most certainly not even. You still owe me a suitable husband since my first option was apparently vetoed."

"Was he really your first choice?" Dumbledore asked. "It seems to me you could do much better."

"I don't think you understand." Minerva Explained, "Aberforth was a viable option. He is generally busy with his pub or animals and would probably stay out of my way for the most part. Hogsmeade isn't that far away so I could still manage to keep my job, and all the other things I can live with or possibly change."

"It's just not right Minerva. He isn't right for you." Albus pleaded.

"There isn't going to be a Mr. Right. There hasn't been one for 60 years, and adding a timer isn't helping anything. I might as well just let the Ministry decide. Perhaps they will take pity on this old spinster and forget my name was on the list."

All she got in response was a sad pitying smile and it was just as well. She was done talking about it anyway.


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's Chapter 7 if anyone still remembers this story. Well I've written through chapter 10 (and that includes a scene to warrant the rating). Reviews remind me to come back and post more :) Snow days also help with time to write, so yeah, Happy snow day to me!**

There were only seven short days till the deadline. Minerva had contacted Alaster Moody the previous week. He was her next choice. They had been somewhat like friends back in their student days and their work in the order meant they ran into each other often enough. He was a bit too paranoid and a lot too much of a grouch, but there was a decent person under there somewhere.

His petition was a bit of a shock, but the note swayed her opinion.

If you run out of choices.

It was just like him to think of the good of the order, disbanded now, but he still wouldn't let one of his allies fall to a death eater.

She would give herself another couple of days before signing it and proceeding with the...proceedings.

Not that she expected any great insights from Albus, but Minerva felt she had to tell him of her plans. Poppy, Pomona and Rolanda were surprisingly supportive. They knew that she didn't have many reasonable options, and were realistically optimistic, which she appreciated greatly.

Another argument with Albus wasn't something she was looking forward too. Generally, a good friend that understood her quite well, Albus's thoughts on her predicament were altogether unhelpful. In fact, he acted like he was the one most impacted by her decision, and she was done with his self-centered comments. She wanted to keep him as a friend, but was done with this attitude he had about the new law and specifically her predicament.

Lunch time came all too soon. Always one to bite the bullet, Minerva started their conversation, "I've decided to accept Alastor's petition. I know you probably don't agree, but I am running out of time and unless you have something nice to say, let's just get on with our meal."

"I don't..." Dumbledore started, but she cut him off just as quick. "It is not up for discussion. Unless something drastic changes, I am going through with my plan and I am absolutely done talking about it."

"As you wish," Dumbledore said, turning back to his lunch. It wasn't but a minute later that he stood and said to no one in particular, "I'll be in my office if I'm needed."

It wasn't often that Minerva felt bad for being stern. A bit of sternness helped keep students in line and learning the class materials. Her stern demeanor kept all but the most annoying people away. Sometimes it kept her friends away when she needed some alone time.

This time she wished she hadn't been so stern, but self-preservation was the name of the game. She couldn't deal with these hopeless feelings anymore. There had to be an end and maybe she found one with Alastor.

Making her way back from lunch, Minerva heard an owl at her office window. Letting the bird in, she offered him or her a treat and retrieved the letter. Luckily, she had some free time before her last class of the day.

Sitting down at her desk, she saw that the letter had a ministy seal. Another petition she thought. She hadn't received one in weeks, so this was some surprise.

Opening the letter out of habbit, her jaw dropped in shock. There was the name Albus Dumbledore, and a note that read "My friend, I am truly sorry."


End file.
